Little introduction to the Carpet.
History
The word “carpet” spontaneously evokes the Orient,
with its special atmosphere.
No wonder, since it is in the Orient that the Carpet was born, representing both a basic object of daily life and one of the most beautiful artistic expressions of its populations.
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THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRST CARPET
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The mystery remains as to the place of origin of the knotted carpet, given its wide distribution throughout the Middle East. According to the most plausible hypothesis today,
its cradle would be Central Asia, and more precisely the Turkestan, where were found in 1947 in the valley of Pazyryck in Siberia, fragments of the oldest knotted carpet, dating from the 5th century BC
The oldest knotted carpet in the world, with 360,000 knots/m2 and its composition scheme.
According to a first theory, originally the knotted carpet would have been exclusively an object of domestic use,
manufactured on rudimentary horizontal looms, easily dismantled and transported by nomadic populations.
These latter,shepherds - living in tents (nomads), thus sought to protect themselves from the cold of the ground, without this costing them the sacrifice of the fleece of their precious animals (goats or sheep).
There is a second theory, according to which the knotted carpet appeared in ancient times, in advanced sedentary societies which used the vertical loom.
It would have been created to satisfy a specific aesthetic requirement: interior decoration of homes.
The Persians.
At 5th century BC, the Persians lived on the Iranian highlands.
Over the centuries, they built one of the greatest empires in all of Antiquity.
This empire extended from the Balkans to the Indus, and from Samarkand to Egypt.
The Persian rug
Thanks to literary quotations and especially to the miniature paintings executed in14th century And 15th century centuries,
we know that there existed in Persia, a very long time ago, workshops renowned for the creation of carpets with geometric designs.
It was only at the end of the 15th century century that the Persian carpet will definitively emancipate itself, drawing inspiration to a large extent from the decorations used in other Persian arts such as bookbinding and ceramics.
With the support of monarchs, the greatest artists worked to create designs allowing artisans to create the most beautiful works.
Thus little by little, the Persian carpet became the social emblem of an opulent class, intended to furnish palaces and noble residences.
The Persian carpet, king of carpets?
The primary region for the production of Oriental carpets is the immense territory of the Persian Empire.
What remains of it today is called Iran(land of the Aryans), recent name dating from the beginning of the20th century century.
Expression of an art and a society, the production of Persian carpets is distinguished by its complex character, favoring design and line. This is how we move on to a profusion of extremely elaborate decorations.
The materials then used are always wool, cotton, silk, but in certain ancient productions gold and silver threads enrich the carpet even more.
Today, in Iran, we still tie rugs, using the same techniques as in the past.
And the Persian people take just pride in producing these artistic works with the same love of perfection,
thus perpetuating its millennia-old cultural traditions.
Making a handmade rug can take months or even years.
It is the result of the work of a whole group of artists and craftsmen who give the best of themselves.
In an Oriental rug everything is biodegradable and speaks to us of the terroir: chosen materials (silk, wool, cotton) to natural dyes, as well as the name of the carpet which is that of a geographical locality or a nomadic tribe.
The making.
Wool work
• Mowing
Usually, wool from sheep is used, but also from goat, lamb or camel.
• Spinning
Using the “pily”, a cross spindle, the old women spin wool with unparalleled skill!
• Fiber dyeing
The fibers are inwool or insilknatural.
Coloring is done with original natural dyes
animal, plant or mineral.
This step is one of the most secret in making a rug. Each coloring expert jealously guards the secret of his mixtures, in order to have this or that shade after the fibers dry.
what is a Abrache Or Abrage ?
It is an irregularity of color on a strip of the carpet, for a given shade.
Different coloring baths give different shades, even with identical wool.
• Drying of fibers
Drying takes place naturally, in the open air.